Bulls' Quest: Have Fun In Sun

The weather here has been terrible, Jackson pointed out. Several inches of snow already have fallen. It has been cold, rainy and gray. Thanksgiving is still a few days away.

It's a fine time to pick out your best set of Hawaiian shirts and most comfortable pair of sandals and head to the West Coast.

"Who wants to be here when you can go west and see the sun?" Jackson asked.

Jackson makes the Bulls' annual early-season jaunt, which kicks off with the first of seven games on Tuesday in Dallas, sound like some kind of holiday vacation. This trip is far from some exotic excursion--especially the first four games.

The Mavericks (5-4) have lost three straight, but are 3-1 at home. Next, the Bulls head to San Antonio to face David Robinson and the Spurs (6-2). Then its off to Utah for Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Jazz (8-2), followed by the Seattle SuperSonics (6-4).

Those are supposed to be the toughest games of this pivotal trip. But given the Bulls' knack for struggling against weaker teams, Portland and Vancouver aren't sure wins. The Bulls finish the 12-day swing against the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 2 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. Even the Clippers, who are above .500, won't be easy.

"We want to win all seven games," said Scottie Pippen. "But, realistically, I expect us to take at least five of these games."

Jackson hopes the Bulls finish the trip 5-2, or at least 4-3.

"But this is a tough trip," he said. "You can look on paper and see there's a pretty good chance we could lose more than we can win out there."

This happens to the Bulls every season. The circus comes to town in November and the team is forced to head west for its longest road swing. The trip always turns out to be a gauge of how good the Bulls can be. During each of the three championship years, the Bulls returned from the West Coast with a winning record.

They were 4-3 during the 1990-91 season. The following season, the Bulls went undefeated on the West Coast trip at 6-0. In the Bulls' last championship season, they were 4-3. Without Michael Jordan, the team was 2-5 during the 1993-94 season.

Jackson was happy the team came home with a 3-3 record last season.

"It's a pretty good indicator of a team and where they're going to be and how much they're going to have to work at it," Jackson said. "It's a good time for us to go out and test our troops and see where they're at league-wise, and see where they're at chemistry-wise."

The Bulls have spent the first three weeks of the season taking advantage of an easy schedule which enabled them to play six of their first eight games at home. Only two of those games were against teams with .500 or better records--a loss to the Orlando Magic and a victory over the New Jersey Nets.

As a result, the Bulls are 7-1. They just haven't been that impressive while winning most of those games.

"We are going through a personality check," Jordan said. "We're trying to find some kind of continuity for this team."

This road swing could help matters. Pippen said 12 days away from Chicago will help the jelling process, which has been there only in spurts.

"You try to get away and really estabish some closeness with the basketball club," Pippen said. "Also, you learn how to win on the road. It's a good opportunity for us because once you're out there, there's no turning back. You've got seven games to play. And anytime you're playing on the road, it's never a gimme for you. It's always a tough game."

It all begins in Dallas against a Mavericks team that could pose problems for the Bulls. The teams split the series last season, with Jamal Mashburn scoring 50 points in a 124-120 overtime victory by the Mavericks at United Center. The Bulls beat the Mavericks 111-85 a week later in Dallas.

"We'll learn something about the team," Jackson said. "I don't think it's going to define what it's going to be like in April or May. But it will define something about this team as far as where we're at at this time, how resilient they are and how well we can play on the road."